Indigenous women entrepreneurship : the "three words" that passionate me ...

Are you Indigenous? No, I'm Italian! How many times have I already heard this question while attending seminars and during the field interviews with Indigenous women during my doctorate in Canada. A legitimate question though course, whose answer visibly left a certain perplexity in the faces, but at the same time a background of curiosity…

This question has nourished a deep reflection in my mind, an authentic and particular reflection on the intimate relationship between a researcher and his/her study object. Well, if this is a legitimate question, then what about its answer? Why did an Italian women from Italy decide to tackle the question of Indigenous women entrepreneurs in Quebec?

I have been working for some time on entrepreneurial issues in the broader perspective of "development" such as the emancipation and identity of women in the world and I also included in this reflection women belonging to minority groups. Through a doctoral research project, I decided to bring together all my research interests, skills and passion for these issues by giving myself a specific mission: understand how the entrepreneurial practice could support those women too often confined to the margins of the economic sphere in their trajectories of autonomy and assertion of identity.

My expectation was clear, that of being able to better understand the paths of these women, their specific practices and therefore how to better support them and ideally contribute to making a difference ... and all this with the results of a scientific research.

I arrived in Canada, and more specifically in Quebec, in 2015, at the very time when the “question of Indigenous women” was taking on fundamental importance, and this was without doubt unprecedented. I found myself confronted with a dramatic reality, that of Indigenous women in Canada, who experience more generally specific situations compared to that of Canadian women in general, to the point that a national survey on missing and murdered Indigenous women was precisely about to open.

A curious coincidence ... In fact this dramatic reality was undoubtedly of a great "complexity" but at the same time this current field in Canada corresponded to the questions that I was asking myself. I felt, like a real call, the desire to meet the Indigenous women of Canada. In fact, what better way to support the emancipation of Indigenous women with a study on their "entrepreneurship"?

Certainly a great challenge, and for several reasons. First, that of being an Italian woman. In fact, trying to put a voice that is not your own, on paper, is not so easy, much less trying to understand it, and especially when a research subject is still almost unexplored ...

Despite everything, it was only the beginning of what then became a love at first sight with a subject of study or more precisely with the absence of knowledge on this subject. A great passion drives me to transform "ignorance" into "knowledge" and "knowledge" into "changes". Second, certainly an exciting challenge, that of feeling like a pioneer, but which at the same time requires audacity, courage and a certain capacity for innovation. Despite this, I felt strong through my acquired knowledge, my experiences and empathy. Then, this passion that can move everything and that comes directly from my heart, leads me not to underestimate but to value, just like the desire to meet these women, who certainly made my research experience in the field meaningful and unforgettable.

Indigenous women entrepreneurship! These three words fascinated me and will continue to do so. I remember spending whole days thinking about these "three words" ... what meaning can they assume when they are together? Would it have been better to talk about “Indigenous entrepreneurship of women” or ... "Indigenous women entrepreneurship"? What would have been the best way to name this phenomenon to discover? I believe that the gender dimension cannot be ignored and turns out to be a priority, regardless of whether they are Indigenous or non-Indigenous women; women’s perspective are fully part of it interest in this phenomenon that is under the name of Indigenous women entrepreneurship.

I am very happy to have successfully completed my doctoral project on Indigenous women entrepreneurship. The vision that I harbor of scientific research manifested itself in my doctorate by the need to go to meet on the ground, very present, and listen to their voices. Then, I am even happier to be able to contribute with the fruit of my work to the development and empowerment of women around the world.